Rory McIlroy played the first six holes of the storied back nine of the Pebble Beach Golf Links at 5-under par on Sunday and turned a close tournament into a runaway with a closing 66 for a two-shot victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am over Shane Lowry.
McIlroy, in his first PGA Tour start of the 2025 season, finished at 21-under par 267 and vaulted to second on the money list with a $3.6 million first-place check and to third on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup points list with 700, behind Sepp Straka and Hideki Matsuyama.
After three bogeys on the front nine, Lowry (68) matched McIlroy’s 5-under on the back and birdied Nos. 16 and 18 to secure solo second. Justin Rose (68) and Lucas Glover (67) tied for third at 18-under and Russell Henley (67) and Cam Davis (69) tied for fifth at 17-under.
Straka (72), the 54-hole leader, dropped into a tie for seventh with Tom Kim (70) at 16-under. PGA Tour player of the year Scottie Scheffler, making his first start of the season, birdied three of his last five holes for a 67 and tied for ninth with Billy Horschel (66) at 15-under.
Rory McIlroy approaching top 20 in Tour victories
McIlroy won his 27th PGA Tour title to break out of a tie with Henry Picard for 22nd on the all-time list. Next in his sights are Leo Diegel and Paul Runyan, tied for 20th with 28 victories.
McIlroy has the second-most victories among active PGA Tour players, trailing only Tiger Woods with 82. Phil Mickelson has 45 victories but is playing in the LIV Golf League and is no longer a PGA Tour member.
It also was McIlroy’s second victory in California. He won the 2015 WGC Match Play at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, beating Gary Woodland 4 and 2.
A 35-year-old native of Northern Ireland, McIlroy won for the second time in the PGA Tour’s Signature Event series. He won the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
McIlroy broke away from a three-way tie
McIlroy began the final round one shot behind Straka and tied with Lowry at 15-under. When that group turned, McIlroy and Straka were tied with Tom Kim for first, and 13 players on the course were within five shots.
McIlroy then turned a potential barnburner into a rout. He dropped a putt of 17 feet, 7 inches at No. 10 for birdie and the lead for good. He made another of 8-10 for birdie at No. 12.
The clincher was the par-5 14th hole. McIlroy unleashed a massive 339-yard drive over the corner of the fairway and had 209 yards to the hole. He hit a smooth 7-iron onto the green and drained a putt of 26-7 for eagle to get to 20-under.
McIlroy then tapped in from 3-8 for birdie at No. 15 and had safe two-putts at Nos. 16 and 17.
With a three-shot lead over Lowry and Glover, McIlroy took the safe play at the par-5 18th, hitting an iron off the tee, then laying up. He hit a wedge from 117 yards and two-putted for par from 29 feet.
There was some drama ahead of McIlroy
On a day when Glover, Jason Day, Horschel and Davis were among the players who hole shots from the fairway, rough and bunkers, Rose and Davis added some drama at No. 18 with McIlroy and his group waiting in the fairway.
Davis, who had chipped in at No. 4 for birdie, hit his second shot right and found it mired in a tangle of thick tree roots. Attempting a shot that threatened to either snap his wedge or his wrist, Davis plopped the ball out and onto the green, actually getting backspin to within 3 feet. He made the putt to preserve a bogey-free round.
Rose was 61 feet from the hole in front of the green and elected to putt with a fairway metal. The ball rolled true and into the hole for eagle to preserve his share of third place.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Rory McIlroy heats up late to pull away from the pack
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